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Volume 6 Number 7
November 2008
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From the
Director's Desk
--Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., Acting Director, NIOSH
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Beauty and Safety
In
many parts of the country, November provides a last respite before cold
temperatures and snow set in. For landscape services workers, it is a
particularly busy month. Their trucks and vans are a common sight as lawns
and gardens are raked, mowed, fertilized, and planted for winter and spring.
Landscaping
and groundskeeping add immeasurably to the beauty we see around us, and we
respect the labor and care that go into this work.
We
safety and health professionals have a welcome opportunity to show our appreciation
by doing all we can to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses among
landscapers and groundskeepers. With a rate of about 25 deaths per 100,000
workers, the danger of fatal work-related injuries among this population is
similar to that of other high-risk worker groups such as miners, but less
well recognized. Although landscape services workers make up 0.8 percent of
the U.S.
workforce, disproportionately they account for 3.5 percent of all
occupational fatalities.
A
new NIOSH fact sheet, Fatal
Injuries Among Landscape Services Workers, highlights
the fact that work-related motor vehicle fatalities—the leading cause
of death on the job for all worker populations—also account for the
largest percentage of fatal occupational injuries for landscape services
workers. Deaths from falls, being struck by falling objects, and
electrocutions occur more frequently among landscape services workers than
among the overall U.S.
workforce. Many landscape services workers are self-employed or work for a
small business. Forty-one percent are Hispanic, compared with 16 percent of
the total U.S.
workforce. As a rule, these factors of diversity pose a challenge for
traditional approaches in safety training and education. In addressing this
question, the fact sheet notes numerous sources for free training and
educational materials in Spanish as well as English.
For
employers, the fact sheet strongly emphasizes the following strategic steps
necessary for worker safety:
- Establish, maintain, and enforce a
comprehensive safety program with written rules and safe work
procedures.
- Systematically identify and control potential
hazards at a worksite before the job starts.
- Comply with mandatory safety and health
regulations.
- Heed consensus safety standards for heavy
equipment, power tools, and other devices routinely used on the job.
- Provide meaningful training and education to
help workers recognize potential hazards and know how to work safely.
- Monitor the condition of workers
in physically demanding tasks.
The
fact sheet is downloadable at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-144/.
I would invite you also to consult and use four other new resources that we
have added to the NIOSH Web site for identifying and addressing potential
hazards in outdoor work. These are NIOSH safety and health topic pages on
insects and scorpions http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects,
venomous spiders http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/spiders/,
venomous snakes http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes,
and poisonous plants http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants.
Additional guidance for the hazards of working outdoors can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/outdoor/.
Landscape services workers put in
long and productive hours from early in the morning to late in the evening.
The results of their labor give all of us great visual pleasure every day. I
hope that our new resources will help to make sure that their working hours
are safe and healthy ones.
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Dr. Paul Leigh
Receives NIOSH Director’s Award
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Congratulations to Paul Leigh,
Ph.D., from the University of California, Davis,
who received the NIOSH Director’s Award 2007 for his work on developing
estimates of the national costs of occupational injuries and illnesses and
for his efforts to promote the use of these estimates to improve worker
safety and health. The award was presented on October 21 at the National
Occupational Injury Research Symposium. Further information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-10-20-08.html.
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Online Ordering
Available for NIOSH Publications
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Did you know that you can now
order NIOSH publications on line at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/niosh.aspx?
You can order up to 18 different titles at once, including CDs and videos.
Order limits have been placed for each document and are listed next to the
publication number. If you need additional information or are requesting
copies of a NIOSH publication which exceeds the order limit, please contact
Sherri Diana at sdiana@xxxxxxx
or by phone at 513-533-8471.
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Road Traffic
Remembrance Day
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The World Day of Remembrance for
Road Traffic Victims is November 15. In recognition, the CDC homepage will
feature the NIOSH
Safety and Health Topic: Motor Vehicle Safety to
highlight the work NIOSH does to reduce the toll of road traffic injuries at
work, which are a leading cause of workplace death, injury, and disability in
countries around the world. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/motorvehicle/.
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College Credit
for Blogging? NIOSH Science Blog Enters the Classroom
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Assistant Professor of
Occupational Safety and Health at Old
Dominion University,
Charlene Brassington was so impressed by the NIOSH Science Blog that she used
it as a midterm assignment for her graduate course, Risk Assessment and
Decision Analysis. Professor Brassington said, “We are constantly
challenged to seek more appealing ways to engage our current generation of
students. We are also always trying to drive them into new sources of
information.” For more information, contact Professor Brassington at cbrassin@xxxxxxx.
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WorkLife
Initiative Releases Essential Elements to Improve Worker Health
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 A guide
for employers and employer-employee partnerships wishing to establish
effective workplace programs that sustain and improve worker health is now
available on the NIOSH Web site. The guide, Essential Elements of Effective
Workplace Programs and Policies for Improving Worker Health and Well-being,
is a key part of the NIOSH WorkLife Initiative, which is intended to identify
and support comprehensive approaches to reduce workplace hazards and promote
worker health and well-being. The guide is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/worklife/essentials.html.
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‘Bug Bomb’
Risks, Precautions Noted in MMWR Article
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Case reports about illnesses
associated with exposures to pesticides from “bug bomb” products,
factors for risk of such exposures, and practical precautions for users are
described in an article from collaborative research by NIOSH and partners.
The study was published in the October 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report
(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5741a3.htm).
Also, on October 17 the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
announced New York
state actions to reduce risks of harmful exposures, citing the NIOSH study as
an impetus to those actions (http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/48084.html).
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Western
Occupational Network (WestON) Meeting
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The first Western Occupational
Network (WestON) meeting was held September 25–26, 2008, in Denver, Colorado.
Sponsored by the NIOSH Denver Regional Office, the Council for State and
Territorial Epidemiologists, and the NIOSH
Mountain and Plains Education and
Research Center (ERC), the meeting provided a venue for over 60 state
occupational safety and health professionals throughout the western U.S. to meet
and share ideas for collaboration, information exchange, and capacity
building. For more information on this conference or initiatives to foster
state capacity in the West, please contact Yvonne Boudreau (AYB1@xxxxxxx).
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NIOSH
Nanotechnology Research News Notes
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The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research News Notes,
October 2, 2008, highlights recent accomplishments by NIOSH in its strategic
research and partnerships addressing the health and safety implications and
applications of nanotechnology. These recent accomplishments include two
peer-reviewed scientific papers in key research areas, two international
partnership activities, and a professional award presentation. More
information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-10-02-08.html.
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Health Hazard
Evaluation Report on Baggage Screeners Now Available
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The Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE)
Program investigated employees’ potential exposure to X-ray radiation
during baggage screening at twelve airports throughout the U.S. The full
HHE report that includes results and recommendations from the investigation
is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0206-3067.pdf.
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NIOSH Science
Blog: Your Comments Wanted on Immigrant Health and Safety
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What experiences have you had with
developing successful interventions for immigrant workers? What types of
materials are needed to better assist safety and health professionals in
providing information and training to foreign-born workers? Share your
thoughts with us and others on this topic on the NIOSH Science Blog through
November 7 (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/index.html).
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NIOSH Team
Provides Technical Course in Peru
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NIOSH
technical experts (seated) and CENSOPAS representatives with class
participants. Photo: Aaron Sussell, NIOSH
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A five-member NIOSH
interdivisional team visited Peru’s National Institute of Health (INS)
in Lima, Peru, September 15–19, to present a technical course,
"Determination of Silica and Heavy Metals in Work Environments" in
collaboration with the National Center for Occupational Health and Protection
of the Environment for Health (CENSOPAS). The NIOSH team provided
occupational health training in silica and heavy metals with an emphasis in
laboratory analyses, sampling, quality assurance programs, control
banding, and evaluation of interventions. All attendees were trained in each
area since the participating countries frequently have only one person to
assess health hazards, perform site visits, analyze samples, and report
results. Nearly 40 professionals were trained at CENSOPAS, including
attendees from Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela,
and Colombia.
The Peruvian representative from the Pan American Health Organization also
attended the training program. A site visit was performed at Cementos Lima,
one of the largest cement producers in the world. Course evaluations
completed by the participants indicated that the course was well received.
The NIOSH team included Kevin Ashley, Catherine Beaucham, Rosa Key-Schwartz,
Faye Rice, and Aaron Sussell.
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Male
Reproductive Effects from Occupational Exposure to Boron
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With an increased demand for
boron-containing industrial and medical products, more workers are being
exposed during mining and processing of boron ore, and more
communities may be exposed to boron containing industrial wastes. Dr. Wendie
Robbins (UCLA) completed a NIOSH-funded project focused on boron workers in China. Her
findings showed that male boron workers experienced a decreased ratio of
Y-bearing versus X-bearing sperm compared with men who did not work in the
boron industry, and a shift in gender ratios of their offspring at birth,
with boron workers having proportionally fewer sons at birth compared with
the control group. This change of gender ratios has implications for the
population as well as the affected individuals, with potential impacts for
both community populations and socioeconomic dynamics. For additional
information, contact Wendie A. Robbins, RN, Ph.D., at wrobbins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
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California Reports
Action on Vaccine Needle Safety
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As part of its state-based
occupational health surveillance activities, the California Department of
Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, recently alerted California state health officials about
the lack of a safety device to protect users from job-related needlestick
injuries from one of the Novartis flu vaccine products. Further
information about the state agency's alert and subsequent actions is
posted on the California Department of Public Health Web page at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohb/Pages/New.aspx#novartis. More
information about prevention of job-related needlestick injuries, including
state laws, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations,
and other resources, is available on the NIOSH topic page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/.
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 New Construction Equipment Visibility Topic
Page
NIOSH has added a new safety and
health topic page on blind areas around construction equipment for safety
personnel and instructors to raise awareness on the hazards of working around
construction vehicles and equipment. Blind area diagrams for 38 types of
construction equipment are available for download or print. A blind area
diagram is a detailed visual representation of the area around a vehicle or
piece of equipment that cannot be seen from the operator’s position.
The NIOSH Safety and
Health Topic: Highway Work Zone Safety, Construction Equipment Visibility
can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/highwayworkzones/BAD/default.html.
For more information about NIOSH research on construction equipment
visibility contact David E. Fosbroke at def2@xxxxxxx.
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 National
Construction Agenda Finalized
The first finalized national
sector agenda is now available on the National Occupational Research
Agenda (NORA) homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/).
The NORA Construction Sector Council finalized its Agenda after
considering public comments on the previous draft. The National
Construction Agenda consists of fifteen strategic goals designed to address
ten "top problems" of the construction industry over the next
decade.
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Keeping Knees
Healthy in Restricted Work Spaces: Applications in Low-Seam Mining
This document provides workers in lower-seam (42 inches or less) mines with
information to keep their knees healthy (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pubreference/outputid2716.htm).
Estimating the
Permeation Resistance of Nonporous Barrier Polymers to Sulfur Mustard (HD)
and Sarin (GB) Chemical Warfare Agents Using Liquid Simulants
This document is a report of the results of the NIOSH Chemical Warfare Agent
(CWA) Simulant Project that the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology
Laboratory conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research,
Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-141/).
Fatal Injuries among
Landscape Services Workers Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides guidance for landscape services workers on
preventing fatal on-the-job injuries (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-144/).
Workplace Solutions:
Personal Protective Equipment for Health Care Workers Who Work with Hazardous
Drugs
This document provides information on NIOSH recommendations that employers
provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare
workers who handle hazardous drugs in the workplace (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2009-106/).
Two New NIOSH FACE
Program Reports Available
Farmer
Dies Leading Heifer Toward a Loading Chute to a Livestock Trailer
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/06mi205.html
Truck
Driver Electrocuted When Raised Long-Bed Dump Trailer Contacted 4,800-Volt
Overhead Power Line
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/06mI185.html
New NIOSH Health and
Safety Topic Page: Poisonous Plants
This topic page provides
information for protecting outdoor workers from exposure to poisonous plants
(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants/).
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“No Fit Test” Respirator
Workshop
November 6, 2008, Pittsburgh
PA (http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/mcohs/)
Professional Conference on Industrial
Hygiene (PCIH) 2008—Look for us at booth #28!
November 6–11, 2008, Tampa,
FL (http://www.aiha.org/pcih08/)
International Safety Equipment
Association (ISEA) Fall Meeting: Protection 2033
November 11, 2008, Arlington,
VA (http://www.safetyequipment.org/#inside)
8th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health
Psychology
November 12–14, 2008, Valencia,
Spain
(http://www.ea-ohp.org)
2008 NIOSH Direct-Reading Exposure
Assessment Methods (DREAM) Workshop
November 13–14, 2008, Washington,
DC (http://www.team-psa.com/dream2008/main.asp)
International Association of
Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2008 Annual Conference
November 15–20, 2008, Overland
Park, KS (http://www.iaem.com/events/annual/intro.htm)
International Roofing Expo
February 3–5, 2009, Las Vegas,
NV (http://www.theroofingexpo.com)
International Conference on Road
Safety at Work
February 16–18, 2009, Washington,
DC. This meeting is open to the
public. (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/global/)
19th Annual Construction
Safety Conference & Expo—Look for us!
February 17–19, 2009, Rosemont,
IL (http://www.buildsafe.org/)
2009 Society of Manufacturing
Engineers (SME) Annual Meeting and Colorado
Mining Association (CMA) 111th Annual National Western Mining Conference
February 22–25, 2009, Denver,
CO (http://sme2009.abstractcentral.com)
Emergency Nurses Association
Leadership Conference
March 4–8, 2009, Reno,
NV (http://www.ena.org)
29th Triennial Congress of
the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH 2009)
March 22–27, 2009, Cape Town,
South Africa
(http://www.icoh2009.co.za)
American Association of Occupational
Health Nurses 2009 Symposium and Expo
April 17–23, 2009, Orlando,
FL (http://www.aaohn.org/education/symposium-expo/cfp/index.cfm)
Fire Department Instructors
Conference (FDIC) 2009
April 20–25, 2009, Indianapolis,
IN (http://downloads.pennnet.com/fe/fdic2008/2009indycallforpapers.doc)
2009 Nanotech Conference & Exposition
May 3–7, 2009, Houston,
TX (http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2009/)
American Industrial Hygiene
Conference and Expo (AIHce)—Look for us!
May 30–June 4, 2009, Toronto,
Ontario (http://www.aiha.org/aihce09/plan/)
American Society of Safety Engineers
(ASSE) Professional Development Conference and Exposition “SAFETY
2009”
June 28–June 30 2009, San
Antonio, TX (http://www.asse.org)
2009 American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) Johnson Conference on Emerging IEQ Issues
July 13–16, 2009 in Burlington
VT. Email elight@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
for information.
19th International
Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time
August 2–6, 2009, Venezia,
Italy (http://www.shiftwork2009.it)
Voluntary
Protection Programs Participants Association Annual Conference—Look for us!
August 24–27, 2009, San
Antonio TX (http://www.vpppa.org/)
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Boron: A nonmetallic
element used widely in a variety of industrial applications and products,
including use as a component in some glass products, ceramic materials, and
alloys.
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NIOSH eNews on the Web:
www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/
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NIOSH eNews is Brought to
You By:
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Acting Director
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Christine M. Branche, Ph.D.
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Editor in Chief
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Max Lum
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Story Editor
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Tanya Headley
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Story Editor Emeritus
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Tara Hartley
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Public Affairs Officer
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Fred Blosser
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Technical Lead
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Glenn Doyle
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Technical Support
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Joseph Cauley
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Please send
your comments and suggestions to us at nioshenews@xxxxxxx.
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